Tuesday, August 25, 2015

What’s happening at your publication? Let us know. Email editor Fred Kuhr at editor@presspassq.com.BOBBY BLAIR, CEO and founder of Florida-based MULTIMEDIA PLATFORMS and a former world-ranked tennis player, took part in a celebrity tennis exhibition on June 7, 2015. The event, which also included Major League Baseball’s BILLY BEAN and former NBA player JASON COLLINS, was part of the City of West Hollywood’s Pride Tennis Tournament.

GED (GAY ENTERTAINMENT DIRECTORY), based in Long Beach, Calif., entered its third year of publication with its June/July 2015 issue.

ARIN JAYES is the new administrative assistant at the NATIONAL LESBIAN & GAY JOURNALISTS ASSOCIATION’s Washington D.C. headquarters.

Michael Key (Photo: Blake Bergen)

MICHAEL KEY, the WASHINGTON BLADE’s photo editor, won first place honors in the D.C. Society of Professional Journalists Dateline Awards in the category of photojournalism. Three other Blade staffers were recognized as finalists in the competition: Blade Arts Editor JOEY DIGUGLIELMO in the category of Arts Criticism; and Blade Reporter MICHAEL LAVERS and Editor KEVIN NAFF in the Commentary category.

METRO WEEKLY, based in Washington, D.C., celebrated its 21st anniversary with its May 7, 2015, issue.

THE MIRROR, based in Wilton Manors, Fla., entered its fourth year of publication with its Summer 2015 issue.

OPTIONS, based in Rhode Island, has moved its office from suburban Pawtucket to Providence’s Federal Hill neighborhood, close to the city’s downtown core.

UNITE VIRGINIA, based in Richmond, Va., published its premier issue earlier this summer. It’s the latest publication under the Unite banner, which includes UNITE TENNESSEE, UNITE BUSINESS and UNITE INDIANAPOLIS.

LAUREN WALLESER has stepped down as assistant editor of Boston-based THE RAINBOW TIMES for the last two and a half years. She is replaced by SARA BROWN. Also new to the publication are MILO TODD as reporter and JESSICA CASTELLANOS as reporter intern.

More than 350 journalists, news executives, and communications professionals are expected in San Francisco over Labor Day weekend when the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association (NLGJA) convenes its annual convention and 11th LGBT Media Summit at the Westin St. Francis. This is the organization’s silver anniversary. The theme of this year’s gathering is “Coming Home.”

The four-day convention begins with the LGBT Media Summit on Thursday, Sept. 3, followed by two full days of main convention programming, with plenaries and breakout sessions designed to address the needs of journalists and those in the communications industry.

NLGJA President
Jen Christensen

“I’m thrilled to have some of the most powerful LGBT leaders in the news business who will all be on one plenary to give us the inside scoop on the business and their personal perspective on what it is like to be out at the top,” said Jen Christensen, NLGJA’s president, in an email. “In a tribute to our 25th anniversary, that plenary will be moderated by top editor-turned-professor Linda Villarosa, who happened to be NLGJA’s very first keynote speaker.”

Joining Villarosa will be the first openly gay newsman to anchor a network newscast, MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts, and Eden Lane, the first trans woman to anchor a mainstream news show. “Together they will join some other top talent to talk about what it is like to be out and on the air these days,” said Christensen.

“And our opening keynote will be a fascinating conversation between two ever-interesting anchors, CNN’s Richard Quest and the Weather Channel’s Sam Champion,” she said. “We’ve got some incredible professional development opportunities taught by several Pulitzer Prize and Peabody winners, who will help us sharpen our traditional writing, interviewing, and research skills, and we’ve got some smart and forward-looking thinkers from Google and Linkedin who will offer exclusive bootcamps for members to teach them a new trick or two when it comes to the best practices of social media and digital research.”

Christensen and Ken Miguel, NLGJA’s vice president of broadcasting, are the main convention co-chairs.

LGBT Media Summit

Before the main convention, professionals working in LGBT media will take part in a daylong, in-depth look at gay media.

This year’s Media Summit co-chairs are Tracy Baim, publisher and executive editor of Chicago-based Windy City Times, and Michael Yamashita, publisher of San Francisco-based Bay Area Reporter.

“We are proud to be the host city for the 25th anniversary of NLGJA, where it was founded, and the 11th Annual LGBT Media Summit,” said Yamashita in an email. “Tracy Baim has put together a spectacular variety of panels and presenters on diverse topics that are relevant to our communities now and in the near future. Although we have achieved marriage equality in this country, our overall battle for fairness and justice is far from over. The topics offered at the convention will help inform and guide journalists about our current issues whether they work in mainstream or LGBT media.”

Baim added, “I am looking forward to the wide range of programs and presenters we have at the LGBT media summit this year. We have panels that look back historically at LGBT media, and panels that look at the critical issues of today, including transgender coverage, religious issues, activism, younger journalists, and documentary journalists. There is a lot of interest to non-journalists, and mainstream journalists, not just those in LGBT media.”

Plenary and panel topics include “Faith, Family and Futures for LGBT Youth,” “Affirmation Proclamation: Trans* Elders Review Misgendering in News, Culture and Hollywood,” “Queerly Beloved: 25 Years of LGBT Media,” and “Black, LGBT and Read All Over: African-American Journalists in LGBT Media.”

Inductees to LGBT Journalists Hall of Fame

In advance of the convention, NLGJA announced six new inductees into the organization’s LGBT Journalists Hall of Fame. They are Randy Alfred, Alison Bechdel, Alan Bell, Lou Chibbaro, Jr., Charles Kaiser, and Armistead Maupin.

Randy Alfred may be best known for his detailed 1980 probe of the biased and unfair portrayal of San Francisco's gay community in CBS Reports' “Gay Power, Gay Politics,” an investigation that ultimately resulted in CBS making a rare public apology for its failed coverage. In 1978, he co-founded the San Francisco Bay Times, the first community newspaper on the West Coast to be produced equally by lesbians and gay men. Alfred is one of the founding board members of NLGJA, according to the organization’s press release.

Alison Bechdel, has been writing for and about the LGBT community since 1983 when she began producing and self-syndicating “Dykes to Watch Out For,” a comic strip chronicling the lives, romances, and political involvement of a group of lesbians. In addition, Bechdel has been honored with a prestigious Guggenheim Fellowship in 2012, a MacArthur Genius Grant in 2014, and a Tony Award for the musical adaptation of her graphic memoir “Fun Home.”

Alan Bell has been a presence within LGBT journalism for almost 40 years. Beginning in 1977 when he founded Gaysweek, New York City’s first mainstream lesbian and gay newspaper, and continuing with BLK and Blackfire, Bell has been a pioneer of LGBT journalism and activism, particularly on issues surrounding HIV/AIDS. He continues to work with many non-profit organizations including the Minority AIDS Project, the Magic Johnson Foundation, and the Black AIDS Institute.

Charles Kaiser is an award-winning author and journalist, as well as an NLGJA founding board member and the second president of the New York Chapter of NLGJA. He has been practicing his craft since 1971, when he began writing for the New York Times while still an undergraduate at Columbia College. After eight years at the Times, he also wrote for Newsweek, The Wall Street Journal, Vanity Fair, The Washington Post, and The Los Angeles Times, as well as publishing three books, including the Lambda Literary Award-winning “The Gay Metropolis,” which was named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

Lou Chibbaro, Jr., a prize-winning reporter for the Washington Blade, first took up his pen in 1976 under the pseudonym Lou Romano. Fast forward four decades, Chibbaro has covered almost everything for the Blade, including the nation’s political triumphs and protests, the rise of the AIDS epidemic, federal efforts to find and fire gay government employees and towering gay civil rights figures like the late Dr. Frank Kameny. Chibbaro made journalism history as the first LGBT inductee into the Society of Professional Journalists’ Washington Pro Chapter Hall of Fame.

Armistead Maupin is the author of nine best-selling novels, including six “Tales of the City” books, which were originally collected from the daily serials he wrote in the San Francisco Chronicle beginning in 1976. Three miniseries starring Olympia Dukakis and Laura Linney were captured from the first three Tales novels, and “The Night Listener” became a feature film starring Robin Williams and Toni Collette. A young man of the South and a Vietnam veteran, Maupin began his journalism career writing for The Daily Tar Heel, the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill’s student newspaper.

Excellence in Journalism Awards

NLGJA only recently announced the recipients of its Excellence in Journalism Awards. These awards were established in 1993 to foster and recognize excellence in journalism on issues related to the LGBT community.

Many of those honored work in LGBT media. Below is a complete list of award recipients.

Founded in 1990, NLGJA is the leading professional organization for LGBT journalists with 18 chapters nationwide, as well as members around the globe. The 2015 Hall of Fame and Excellence in Journalism Awards Ceremony will take place on September 5 at the Coming Home National Convention & LGBT Media Summit and 25thAnniversary Celebration. More information is available at http://www.nlgja.org/2015/.

Wednesday, August 12, 2015

For more than a decade, the influential blog Bilerico Project has provided “an open-ended experiment in communication and cultural community building,” according to a website posting about its history and mission. It was in effect a community forum, which has given voice to a wide range of LGBT writers and bloggers.

But on June 30, publisher and founder Bil Browning announced the end of the popular blog. The website, he said, would be archived at bilericoproject.com, with all 31,000 postings available for readers.

“Projects are meant to be temporary and so was Bilerico Project,” wrote Browning in his last post. “It’s time to wrap up our experiment. The media landscape has changed dramatically over the past decade and so have our lives and the LGBT movement itself. It's time to turn the page and start something fresh in this new environment.

“Together we've covered a multitude of important stories. From George W. Bush's election to the Supreme Court decision on marriage equality, we've brought the best news and analysis we could. We’ve made a change in the Salvation Army's anti-LGBT policies and ensured an innocent HIV-positive immigrant was released from prison to die surrounded by loved ones. Together, our writers and readers have made a difference.”

Reaction to Browning’s announcement was expressed in gratitude and praise.

“It's been a privilege to have been part of Bilerico, and I will always value the connections I made there,” said writer Dana Rudolph in an email. “Bilerico was one of the models I looked to for inspiration when I launched Mombian 10 years ago, albeit with a narrower focus on parenting. Much as I will miss it, this sounds like the right decision … and I admire [the] courage in making it.”

“Thank you for teaching me about online journalism,” said Karen Ocamb, news editor at Los Angeles-based Frontiers Magazine, about Browning and the Bilerico Project. “You made me feel relevant again. After having spent years in daily broadcast journalism, I was extremely frustrated reporting only once or twice a week for LGBT print publications. Writing for Bilerico was exhilarating — even if I never quite got the hang of ‘loosening up’ and being as personal as [Browning] wanted me to be.

“One of my most fun moments, when I felt like I was contributing to the LGBT movement, happened on June 17, 2008, when [freelance reporter] Rex Wockner, [Bay Area Reporter’s] Cynthia Laird, and publishers from Sacramento and San Diego and I created a consortium for the day marriage equality hit California. We pooled our photos and provided them free to anyone who wanted to use them — via Bilerico. Bylines didn’t matter. Credit didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered was sharing the excitement of that historical moment in time.”

Diane Anderson-Minshall, editor at large for Advocate magazine and advocate.com, offered her thoughts.

“I absolutely believe that Bilerico really changed the conversation by embracing voices that weren't heard, not just in mainstream media but even in LGBT media,” she said in an e-mail. “Bilerico certainly made me a better journalist (and I never wrote for them) and it helped push our larger publications like The Advocate to really diversify, not just pay lip service to the idea of ‘diversity.’”

David Badash, founder and managing editor of The New Civil Rights Movement, said Browning gave him his “start in journalism outside of what was just my tiny blog, and I'm sure many others can say that as well.”

Badash added, “Bilerico has always been very cutting edge and progressive, and I learned a lot. I'm grateful for all [that Browning] taught me and for all the site ha[s] done for our community. It will be missed, greatly.”

The name for Bilerico is a combination of its founder’s first name (Bil) and the first name of Browning’s college friend, Eric Muramatsu.

A native of Indiana, Browning’s blog at first focused on LGBT issues in that state. In 2007, however, the blog took on LGBT political issues nationally, at the same time it embraced the full spectrum of LGBT life. Browning moved from his home state to a new base in Washington, D.C.

Earlier this year, Bilerico archives became part of a Smithsonian collection.

For more than a decade the Victory Fund has distributed its Gay Politics Report, a clipping service of news stories and opinion on all things LGBT.

Gay Politics Report, a free twice-weekly summary of important LGBT news and opinion, was a must-read for LGBT leaders. In addition to its quick-read summaries of published articles, it offered job listings throughout the LGBT movement.

More than 20,000 LGBT leaders in media, government, politics, and advocacy looked to Gay Politics Report to keep them informed and knowledgeable.

But on June 30, the organization, which has a mission of electing openly LGBT officials at all levels of government, said it would no longer distribute the report.

Victory Fund cited a changed political landscape as a reason for discontinuing the Gay Politics Report.

“LGBT politics have changed significantly since we published the first issue back in 2004, a year when 11 votes in 11 states passed amendments banning marriage equality, and Don't Ask, Don't Tell was still the law of the land,” wrote Aisha C. Moodie-Mills, president and CEO of the Victory Fund and Institute, in an email to readers. “Today, marriage equality is on the march across the globe, and more openly LGBT people are serving in government than ever before. As the political landscape has evolved, Victory has developed new, cutting-edge tools to train and elect LGBT leaders.”

“My mother-in-law founded the PFLAG chapter in her Panama City, Fla., area. Then she quickly became a voracious reader about what's happening in the movement. The truth is everyone consumes news in his or her own way, and if you're an email person, the Gay Politics Report was a must,” he said in an email. “And I can only tell you that she considered it a big day for me if a story I wrote got shared in the Gay Politics Report. I'd get a text message immediately with congratulations and emoticons. The email is her primary source for keeping tabs on the movement. It's a one-stop place. It kept so many people informed. And I'm sure all of those people will be sad to see it go, even if replaced.”

Bob Witeck — president and founder of Washington, D.C.-based Witeck Communications, a firm that specializes in strategic public relations and marketing communications for corporate and non-profit clients — offered his perspective on the importance of the Gay Politics Report.

“For the busiest of us — and that includes almost everyone I know — it’s hard to keep a handle on the changing political and policy barometers that help gauge LGBT progress (and setbacks),” he said in an email. “The Gay Politics Report was that barometer for us, and I always appreciated knowing it arrived like clockwork. I know it served us well and prepared us for a 360-degree view of the world that is invaluable.”

Next Magazine, New York’s leading weekly gay nightlife and entertainment publication, announced its acquisition by Florida-based Multimedia Platforms, Inc., the only publicly-traded LGBT media company.

Next began publishing in 1993, and today has more than 50,000 weekly print readers, in excess of 120,000 monthly online unique visitors, 14,000 Twitter followers, and a following on Facebook that exceeds 63,000 fans. Currently, Next is available throughout New York City, Upstate New York, New Jersey, and Fire Island.

Multimedia Platforms, Inc., is a publicly traded “multimedia technology and publishing company that integrates print media with social media, and related online platforms, to deliver information and advertising to niche markets,” according to a press release. The company’s top brands include The Agenda, a Florida-based weekly LGBT newspaper; and Guy Magazine, a weekly entertainment and lifestyle full-colorpublication covering the South Florida LGBT marketplace. Earlier this year, Multimedia Platforms acquired FunMaps, a 33-year-old LGBT travel and leisure publishing company.

Multimedia Platform’s current vice president and chief operating officer, Kevin Hopper, has been appointed publisher of Next; and the magazine’s current editor-in-chief, John Russell, will remain on board to spearhead Next’s editorial and creative direction. The magazine will remain headquartered in New York City.

In a July 2 editorial for Next, Hopper spoke of future plans. “Going forward, our goal is to set a new standard of quality for LGBTQ news and entertainment journalism both online and in print, and to do so while offering advertisers, hands-down, the absolute best value for their dollars,” he wrote. “This means some changes are on the horizon: new additions to our content under the leadership of editor-in-chief John Russell, expanded distribution, increased community outreach, monthly networking events, and a redesign of NextMagazine.com, among other exciting prospects.”

At the same time, Hopper explained, “We will remain New York’s premiere guide to the city’s gay social scene, retaining the nightlife reporting, entertainment coverage, and fascinating celebrity profiles that our readers have come to expect from us for the past two decades.”

“This is a huge opportunity for Next to grow as a brand,” said Russell, in a press statement. “We’re looking forward to taking the magazine to the next level.”

David Moyal, founder of Next Magazine, offered his perspective, in a press statement. “We are extremely excited to have finalized our agreement with [CEO Bobby Blair] and Multimedia Platforms. I firmly believe in his vision and the strategy that the company is embarking on as evidenced by my decision to accept approximately 80 percent of the terms of our agreement in Multimedia Platforms equity. It is a vote of confidence in the team and long-term prospects as together we will continue to give the LGBTQ community a strong voice.”

“We are pleased to purchase a globally recognized brand with 23 years of publishing the highest quality content in one of the most sought after media markets in the world,” said CEO Blair, in a press release. “We will be connecting the global LGBTQ community, businesses, and advertisers for the first time by providing news, entertainment, and connections through print, online, and social media channels. Advertisers and businesses will benefit from the flow of information through the ability to quickly deploy content via one centralized location. We are currently in advanced discussions to continue rolling-up and consolidating the fragmented LGBTQ media market.”

Second, Nightspots — a biweekly, glossy nightlife guide — has merged into the weekly edition of Windy City Times. Nightspots started as an insert publication called Nightlines, but 25 years later WCMG thought the next step in its evolution was to offer weekly coverage in its sister publication, with four-color photos on a weekly basis, rather than just twice a month.

Kirk Williamson, Nightspots managing editor and art director, continues as the leader of Nightspots, which will offer the same breadth of coverage while adding new features. Nightspots has also expanded its presence on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. "I am so excited about moving Nightspots in new directions online, and into the weekly pages of Windy City Times. This gives us a much quicker turnaround in covering community events," he said.

Tracy Baim, publisher and executive editor of Windy City Times, explained the rationale for the change.

“Nightspots, as a biweekly magazine-style bar guide, was our only print product with direct competition from two other biweekly bar guides,” she said in an email. “Even though Nightspots is the oldest, we felt because we already have a weekly print presence with Windy City Times, we could roll the coverage into Windy City Times, and spend more resources posting current bar photos and features online and weekly in Windy City Times, plus on social media. So it was a matter of making it more timely in print and online, and cutting costs on a free-standing print product.”

In yet another change, WCMG has discontinued Windy City Queercast (WCQ), a weekly podcast of news and entertainment. WCQ, formerly known as Lesbigay Radio, was the nation's first daily LGBT radio program airing in the late 1990s in Chicago. The program transitioned into Windy City Radio on the FM dial before the launch of WCQ in 2006. Amy Matheny has been the host of WCQ, Windy City Radio, and Lesbigay Radio for 17 years. This made her one of the longest running hosts of an LGBT radio program in the U.S.

"It has been a privilege to be in conversation with thousands of members of the LGBT community these past 17 years," Matheny said in a press release. "I have worked alongside exceptional co-hosts over the years, including Alexandra Billings, Mitchell Fain, Stephen Rader, Deb Pearce, Colman Domingo, and Miss Cleo. We did incredible ground-breaking work and WCQ gave voice to the LGBT community in a deeply personal way."

Matheny will continue her work as senior account manager with WCMG.

“Matheny decided it was time to stop,” said Baim, adding that it was really a labor of love for her and her team, “so we did not want to continue it without her leadership. It was not a revenue generator, so we felt it was something we could stop.

The more than 600 editions of Windy City Queercast will remain online, as will all of the digital archives of Nightspots, which has published more than 1,100 issues.

Physical dimensions of publication: 6" x 9"

Average page count: 80

Print run: 7,500 minimal copies weekly

*****

PPQ: Who came up with the name and what is the inspiration for it?

William Duffee-Braun: The magazine was originally a franchise of a now defunct David Magazine out of South Florida.

PPQ: What challenge has your publication had to overcome over the past few years?

Duffee-Braun: Changing the type of content we publish to better fit the demands of the reader. As print content continues to evolve so do we. Readers want comedic, short, and relevant content now, instead of hard-hitting in-depth journalism. The web is where people go to find news. People come to David Atlanta to relax and enjoy.

PPQ: How has David Atlanta changed since it was first launched?

Duffee-Braun: The content is much more diverse now. Originally our content was very circuit related. But as our community gains acceptance, we find more opportunity for crossover lifestyle and cultural content.

PPQ: What one change would you like to make?

Duffee-Braun: We are always evolving and changing. In 2015, we are focusing more on the digital side (davidatlanta.com) than ever before. Our readers want to enjoy all aspects of David Atlanta and we will continue to grow both web and print

PPQ: Do you see yourself as an “activist journalist”? If so, in what way?

Duffee-Braun: Activist journalism is found almost entirely online now. As the world continues to change at a rapid rate, it is necessary to get this information out as quickly as possible. Because of this, we reserve our print magazine for light-hearted entertaining content.

PPQ: What's the most surprising feedback you've received from a reader?

Duffee-Braun: Our readers are very vocal and provide tons a feedback. Our "Bitch Session" column provides a great opportunity for not only content feedback, but general gripes about the community.

PPQ: Why do you think David Atlanta has endured as long as it has?

Duffee-Braun: We listen. We evolve to fit our readers' demands so that they continue to cherish us as their beloved local gay brand.

PRESSING QUESTIONSVolume 17Issue 5

About Press Pass Q

Rivendell Media publishes Press Pass Q, the only trade publication for professionals working in LGBT media. Now published in blog format, Press Pass Q includes news and commentary about issues and trends in the LGBT media industry.